1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical connector having center ground contacts.
2. Brief Description of Earlier Developments
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,429,520 and 5,433,617 disclose electrical connectors having a ground contact plate unit with a general cross shape and a cross-shaped receiving area in a mating electrical connector establishing four quadrants of contacts. It is also known in the connector art for two contacts in an electrical connector to transmit the same signal (but in opposite voltage), such as for high speed signals, wherein the differences between the parallel signals can be compaired or combined with any differences (e.g. noise) being removed. These are generally known as a xe2x80x9cdifferential pairxe2x80x9d of contacts. A xe2x80x9csingle endedxe2x80x9d contact generally refers to a single signal contact surrounded by a ground (e.g. a coaxial conductor or pseudo-coaxial arrangement). It is desired to provide electrical connectors with contacts arranged in a symmetrical mating pattern which allows a first connector to be mated with a second connector in various orientations, such as 90xc2x0 apart. A problem exists with conventional electrical connectors in that they do not allow common electrical connector parts to be used in the manufacture of both an electrical connector with only single ended signal contacts and an electrical connector with both differential pair contacts and single ended contacts. It is also desired to provide differential pair and single ended contact arrangements which can use common manufacturing parts as used to manufacture the electrical connectors having only single ended contacts. A problem exists with conventional electrical connectors in that they do not allow differential pair and single ended contact arrangements to be configurable into different patterns. It is also desired to allow differential pair and single ended contact arrangements to be configurable into different patterns.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided comprising a housing and electrical contacts connected to the housing. The electrical contacts comprise paired signal and ground contacts, and additional ground contacts. The additional ground contacts are arranged relative to the paired contacts to divide the paired contacts into subdivisions of equal numbers of the paired contacts. The subdivisions and the additional ground contacts are arranged to allow for multiple relative orientation connections of a mating connector.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided comprising subassembly wafers and a ground plane member. At least two of the wafers comprise a housing, paired signal and ground contacts, and an additional ground contact in a general center of a connection area for the paired contacts. The ground plane member is located between at least two of the wafers. The ground plane member has contact areas located between at least some of the paired contacts of one of the at least two wafers and at least some of the paired contacts of the other one of the at least two wafers.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided comprising paired signal and ground contacts; additional ground contacts located between at least some of the paired contacts; and a housing having first contact receiving areas with the paired contacts located therein and second contact receiving areas with the additional ground contacts located therein. At least one of the second contact receiving areas does not contain an additional ground contact such that two of the paired contacts on opposite sides of the at least one second contact receiving area form a differential pair of contacts for high speed differential pair signal transmission.
In accordance with one method of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an electrical connector is provided comprising steps of providing a housing having first contact receiving areas and second contact receiving areas; positioning paired signal and ground contacts in the first contact receiving areas; and positioning additional ground contacts in the second contact receiving areas. At least one of the second contact receiving areas does not have an additional ground contact located therein such that two of the paired contacts on, opposite sides of the at least one second contact receiving area form a differential pair of high speed signal transmission contacts.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided comprising a first subcomponent wafer assembly comprising a first housing and single ended signal and respectively paired ground contacts connected to the first housing; and a second subcomponent wafer assembly connected to the first subcomponent wafer assembly. The second subcomponent wafer assembly comprises a second housing and, connected to the second housing, pairs of differential pair signal contacts and respectively associated ground contacts for each signal contact.
In accordance with another method of the present invention, a method of manufacturing electrical connectors having both single ended signal contacts and differential pair signal contacts is provided comprising steps of providing pairs of signal contacts and respective ground contacts; and selectively locating additional ground contacts between at least two first ones of the pairs. At least two second ones of the pairs do not have the additional ground contacts therebetween such that the signal contacts of the two second pairs form a differential pair of high speed signal transmission signal contacts and signal contacts of the two first pairs form single ended signal transmission signal contacts.